


Of Sweaters and Footballs

by seltehryor



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-City of Heavenly Fire, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 09:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5579473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seltehryor/pseuds/seltehryor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnus and Alec go to Florida on a vacation. Magnus is expecting some resistance in the clothing department, but what he gets is very different...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Sweaters and Footballs

"I'm sure the Institute can manage without you for a few days. Jason will probably keep things under control." Magnus was lying on his couch petting Chairman while lecturing Alec, who was standing above him.  
"It's Jace, Magnus," Alec sighed. "Plus, I can't leave Izzy to take care of all of New York just because you want some warm weather. What if we have a demon invasion?"  
Magnus stood up, displacing the cat who scurried off in a huff, and stared at Alec, hands on his hips. "You are always looking out for your family." Alec opened his mouth to reply, but Magnus silenced him with an impressive raise of his eyebrow. "You are always protecting them; I've watched you in battle. Don't forget that they are quite capable Shadowhunters on their own, Alexander. The Institute will not turn into rubble without you."  
Alec rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked up at Magnus from beneath his eyelashes. "I...I guess you're right. They can hold their own in a fight."  
Magnus beamed. "Great! We leave tomorrow!" he exclaimed as he left the room in a flurry of glitter and cat fur. Alec watched his boyfriend exit with a mix of amusement and consternation, but that quickly turned to worry when he heard Magnus's next words, yelled from the vicinity of their bedroom.  
"You'll need to pack something other than sweaters!"

* * *

Alec didn't have anything against not wearing shirts. He was a Shadowhunter; he had sparred with Jace plenty of times without a shirt on. He had taken his shirt off on his first date with Magnus, after all, even though that had been accidental. Alec sighed again. He still preferred his sweaters- they kept the attention off of him- but it looked like he was going to have to do without for a few days. It would make Magnus happy, and that would make any discomfort worth it. 

* * *

Magnus hummed happily as blue sparks fell from his waving fingers, sorting shirts and pants into various piles. He had been trying to convince Alec to take a vacation for weeks now; the last time they had truly gone away was their European trip before Camille. Magnus smiled to himself. He would deny it if Alec ever asked, but part of why he wanted to go south was to try to make Alec more comfortable with different clothes, or the lack thereof. He loved Alec and his sweaters, but Magnus wanted Alec to understand just how beautiful he was. For right now, though, Magnus had a more pressing issue: light blue swim trunks with green stripes or hot pink with gold glitter?

* * *

"So, Alec," Magnus said as he pulled off his shirt in a manner that was obviously supposed to be sexy, "ready to hit the pool?" They had arrived in Florida two hours ago by way of a Portal, and Magnus had been sending sly looks at Alec ever since. "You're going to have to put on a bathing suit, you know."  
Alec fixed Magnus with an irritated look before shrugging his shoulders and zipping open his suitcase. "How could I forget, with you reminding me every two minutes?" His tone was playful, but Magnus could detect a small glimmer of true annoyance. He walked over to Alec and wrapped him in a hug, tangling his fingers in Alec's hair and placing a small kiss next to his ear.  
"I solemnly promise to not mention your bathing suit again on this trip," he stated demurely. Alec looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Well. Not again today," Magnus backtracked.  
Alec huffed out a laugh before disentangling himself from Magnus and struggling out of his sweater. "I can't put it on if you're all over me," he said, genuine laughter dancing in his eyes this time. Magnus just grinned- he decided to forego the usual innuendo for the sake of getting Alec out of his clothes quicker- and turned back to his own suitcase, looking for his lime green bathing suit, but not before giving Alec a quick once-over with his eyes.

* * *

They had been sitting on the beach for two hours, and Magnus had fallen asleep on top of his book. Alec looked up from his own book and glanced at his boyfriend; Magnus had one arm under his head as a pillow, and the other hung loosely off the chair, light blue sparks falling from his fingers whenever he shifted. He looked very young like this, almost unguarded, and Alec reached out to ruffle his hair softly before returning to his novel. He only finished two sentences, however, before a small object hit his leg and bounced off onto the sand.  
"Sorry!" a bright, young voice called from somewhere in the ocean. Alec looked out and saw a boy jogging towards him. "You know how the wind is around here," the boy explained apologetically.  
"Oh...no, it's okay," Alec said, reaching down to pick up the foam football that had just hit him. "I used to teach my brother how to throw at the beach. He'd always end up hitting someone, and I would have to go apologize." He handed the ball back to the kid.  
"Hey, are you any good now? You know, at throwing?" the kid asked. "I'm Michael, by the way."  
"Alec, and I haven't thrown in a while," Alec said. "I've been busy."  
"Well, you should come throw a little with us. We're not exactly crack shots either." The boy smiled sardonically, gesturing towards the ball.  
"I..." Alec looked over at Magnus, who was still asleep, and nodded at the boy. "Sure, I'll come." Alec stood up and started following the boy to the ocean.  
"Is that your boyfriend?" Michael asked. "The one with the pointy hair?"  
Alec felt the familiar beginnings of panic set in, but he forced himself to remember that Michael was a mundane and mundanes were normally more accepting about these things. "Yes, he is," Alec stuttered out apprehensively.  
"Oh," Michael shrugged. "Cool. Did you teach him how to throw a football too?"  
Alec laughed at that. "I tried once. It didn't go well."  
The two of them continued walking towards the sea, talking and laughing, and Alec felt freer than he had since they'd arrived. 

* * *

Magnus woke up to a fuzzy numbness in his right arm and groaned. He knew he shouldn't have put his head down on his book, but the sun had been so warm...he just hoped his back wasn't burnt now. He put on his sunglasses and opened his eyes to- nothing. Alec was not there.  
Intellectually, Magnus knew that the swell of panic he felt was completely ridiculous; Alec had been training to fight practically since infancy. "He's probably just walking," Magnus muttered to himself. "Stop acting like a besotted teenager." He scanned the beach for a tall, black-haired Shadowhunter, but the sound of laughter, light and airy, arrested his attention. He followed the sound until his eyes alighted on a group of five boys- Alec and four others- tossing a football around in the water. Alec was talking to one of the boys, a tall, tan kid who looked to be 16, and Magnus was struck by how comfortable Alec looked.  
Alec was gesturing freely, one hand expertly flinging the ball whisk the other playfully shoved a blonde boy in the shoulder, which was a rare sight given the events of the past year, and Magnus couldn't help the spark of jealousy that flared up when he noticed how pretty the other four boys were. They were joking around and talking with Alec too; either he had a glamour over his runes, or the kids didn't care about tattoos. Alec jumped up to catch the ball, water droplets flying from his off his hair and sliding down his now-bare chest, and Magnus's breath hitched. Magnus always thought his boyfriend was beautiful, but like this- carefree, happy- Magnus was reminded of how young and fragile Alec was too. He looked so pure, for that instant, that Magnus almost forgot about his own immortality, about the Mortal War, about Camille, about Sebastian and his father, and he let himself believe, just for a moment, that they were just two normal people on a vacation together.  
Magnus didn't realize he had been staring out into space until he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up into dancing blue eyes.  
"I see you're finally awake," Alec laughed breathlessly. "I was worried you'd end up with a permanent book imprint on your cheek."  
Magnus grinned and stood up, stretching his arms over his head and stepping forward so that he was just an inch or two away from Alec.  
"Don't worry, I didn't mess up my pretty face," he teased before pressing a quick kiss to Alec's lips. "I would never forgive myself if I did."  
Alec laughed and rolled his eyes. "No need to be dramatic. You only flattened some of your hair."  
Magnus's hands flew up to his head and his eyes widened comically. "I did? Where?"  
Alec decided that convincing his boyfriend to leave his hair alone for once would be futile. "Um, the right side? Well, to me it's your left, but to you it's the right. Wait- no, that's it. The right."  
After a few minutes of frantically patting his hair, Magnus huffed and picked up the two books before grabbing Alec's hand and starting off towards their building. "I need to see this for myself," he muttered, squeezing Alec's hand slightly. He nodded towards the ocean, where the four boys from earlier were still involved in their game. "How was it?"  
"It was fun. They really know how to throw a football," Alec shrugged. "I haven't been able to play in a while, what with Clave business and all, so it was nice."  
Magnus's hold on Alec's hand tightened. "The blonde one is cute," he said casually. Alec glanced at him quizzically.  
"Um, I guess." Alec rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand before looking back at Magnus. "I didn't really notice."  
Magnus brightened visibly and pushed the button for the elevator, but Alec peered at his boyfriend for a moment before realization set in. "Magnus, are you jealous?"  
Magnus froze for a moment and then nodded his head. "I...well, yes. A little." Magnus tilted his head from side to side, avoiding eye contact. "Maybe more than a little. Maybe a lot. I kno-"  
Alec cut him off with a kiss, twining his hands in Magnus's already mussed hair and pulling him forward until their hips touched. At that moment, the elevator doors sprang open, and Alec dragged a slightly wide-eyed Magnus to their door. "You're cute when you're jealous," Alec smirked, pulling out his room key. Magnus flipped his hair indignantly- or tried to- before pushing the door open and pulling Alec in behind him.  
"I object to the word 'cute'." Magnus pressed Alec up against the door and kissed his ear.  
"What...what word would you prefer?" Alec mumbled, turning his head to meet Magnus's lips with his own.  
"Oh, I don't know." Magnus smiled coyly. "Maybe-"  
Magnus never got a chance to finish that sentence.


	2. Magnus "Learns" to Throw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec tries to teach Magnus to throw a football. Is it successful? Not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short addendum to Of Sweaters and Footballs that I wrote on a whim. Enjoy!

The sun glinted off of Magnus's eyeshadow, littering the room with minuscule points of light and capturing the attention of Chairman Meow, who tried to pounce and got a pawful of shattered glass.  
"Dammit Chairman," Alec muttered from his position behind Magnus. "Now Magnus will never focus."  
"Chairman? What happened to him?" Magnus whirled around, almost whacking Alec in the face with a football in the process, and made a beeline for his cat. "Chairman Meow! You know better than to step on glass!"  
"Magnus," Alec sighed. "Whose fault is it that there's glass on the floor?"  
Magnus squinted at his boyfriend and waved a hand over Chairman, effectively dousing the cat in blue sparks. "It's not my fault that you wanted to teach me to play football."  
"You said you wanted to learn!"  
"I meant it in the abstract!"  
Alec's eyes glanced around at the remnants of three vases, five (possible six?) picture frames, and two coffee mugs before returning to his boyfriend. "You were close to a decent spiral last time. Just one more shot, okay? And then we need to clean up this mess."  
"I'm a warlock, Alexander, and a powerful one at that. Cleaning involves a mere wave of a hand in this apartment."  
"It still needs cleaning up."  
"Fine. One more try."  
Magnus stood back up and Alec moved behind him to guide his arm. "Okay, so you'll want to hold the ball here," Alec moved Magnus's hand, "and throw like that," he moved Magnus's arm in the facsimile of throwing. "Now you try without me. Aim for the 'x' on the wall."  
Magnus eyed the ball in his hand with obvious disdain and gingerly backed up a few feet. He moved to throw, and the ball flew backwards and hit Chairman Meow's side, toppling him over onto more glass shards. The ensuing yowl sent the birds in the trees outside flying for cover.  
"Maybe you just weren't cut out for sports," Alec ventured, looking apologetic. Magnus glared at him and set about fixing Chairman before he tracked blood all over the rug.

**Author's Note:**

> This is completely un-beta'd (as of right now), so any and all mistakes are my own.  
> I wrote the scene where Alec teaches Magnus how to throw a football a while after I finished this one-shot; I'll be posting it as a second chapter in the next day or so!


End file.
